News & Perspectives on Beer and its Culture

Smallbatch Beer Program

After a successful inaugural year in 2017, Marker 48 Brewing (Weeki Wachee, Florida) has announced that the Smallbatch Beer Program has officially returned for another year of limited release brews and awesome prizes.

Back for its second year, the Smallbatch Beer Program is a 48-week-long promotion that allows Marker 48’s fans the chance to explore a vast array of beers for the remainder of 2018. Committed to brewing one new beer every week, Marker 48’s brewers and select guest brewers will use this program as an opportunity to “explore creative and experimental brewing — everything from sours to barrel-aged beers, and many styles in between.” One new small-batch beer will be tapped each Wednesday – beginning February 7 – in Marker 48’s taproom, and guests will have the option to purchase a Smallbatch Beer Book to track their craft beer journey with stamps collected throughout the year. Depending on the amount accumulated, those stamps could ultimately lead to “a chance to win magnificent prizes at the end of the year.”

A limited number of Smallbatch Beer Books are available now at Marker 48 Brewing for the price of $100 each. The cost of the passport grants its holder with “one FREE small-batch beer per week or half-off bomber bottles of the week’s small-batch beers (when available).” In addition to the 48 free beers, book holders will receive a stamp for each Smallbatch Beer drank.

The amount of stamps a guest collects will determine what prizes he/she will qualify for at the end of the year. The prize tiers are as follows:

10-25 stamps are qualified to win:

$100 Marker 48 gift certificate

Free passport book for 2019 ($100 value)

$25 BeckyJack’s Food Shack gift certificate

$25 Florida Cracker Kitchen gift certificate

($250 value total)

26-35 stamps are qualified to win all of the above, PLUS:

The chance to brew a small-batch beer with Marker 48’s brewers in 2018

36-48 stamps are qualified to win all of the above, PLUS:

A one-night stay with one guest, hosted by Marker 48, on a private island on the Homosassa River and a half-day fishing inshore charter with a guide captain.

New this Year:

All books with 48 stamps will be entered to win two VIP tickets to a 2019 Tampa Bay area beer festival of Marker 48’s choice, accompanied by either the owners or brewers.

In addition to the chance to win the prizes above, passport holders “that have all 48 stamps will get an exclusive Marker 48 Smallbatch Beer shirt AND a special 20 oz. glass to be kept in the brewery to receive pours of core beers throughout 2019 for the same price as 16 oz. beers.”

The Smallbatch Beer Program officially started on Wednesday, February 7 when Marker 48 tapped Wallace Wee Heavy (8.2% ABV), a lightly smoked Scottish style ale with a nice meaty, malty backbone. This is your chance to get into the Smallbatch Beer Program early, so do what you can to swing by the brewery this week, try the Wallace Wee Heavy, snag a Smallbatch Beer Book, and settle in for 48 weeks of good times and tasty brews with Marker 48 in 2018. Prost!

Marker 48 Brewing (Weeki Wachee, Florida) has officially announced the launch of their Smallbatch Beer Program, a new promotion that will feature a new one-off beer during each of the remaining 48 weeks of 2017.

Starting this week, Marker 48 Brewing will begin tapping a series of unique brews and selling a limited number of Smallbatch Beer Books as a part of their Smallbatch Beer Program. Not only will this promotion allow you to enjoy a new beer each week for the rest of the year, but it also gives you chance to win some amazing prizes. There are quite a few moving parts to the Smallbatch Beer Program, so let’s break it all down:

The Beers of the Smallbatch Beer Program – The brewers at Marker 48 Brewing and a select group of guest brewers have signed on to create a series of small-batch beers that will be tapped at the brewery each week for the rest of 2017. These 48 beers are meant to be an exploration of “creative and experimental brewing — everything from sours to barrel-aged beers, and many styles in between.” Anyone who visits Marker 48 Brewing can order these limited offerings, but those that commit to the Smallbatch Beer Program will have the chance to win some cool prizes at the end of the year.

The Promotional Beer Books of the Smallbatch Beer Program – As of this week, Marker 48 Brewing has begun the sale of a “very limited” amount of Smallbatch Beer Books. These Smallbatch Beer Books grant you “one FREE small-batch beer per week or half-off bomber bottles of the week’s small-batch beers (when available).” For each Smallbatch Beer enjoyed, the brewery will also stamp your Beer Book so that you can track your progress throughout the year. These Smallbatch Beer Books are $100 each – **Bargain Alert** that works out to roughly $2 per beer **Bargain Alert** – and can be purchased at Marker 48’s tasting room located at 12147 Cortez Blvd, Weeki Wachee, Florida.

The Prizes of the Smallbatch Beer Program – “At the end of the year, those individuals who have all 48 stamps will get an exclusive Marker 48 Smallbatch Beer shirt AND a special 20 oz. glass to be kept in the brewery to receive core beers for the same price as 16 oz. beers.

Depending on the number of stamps required, book holders will also be qualified to win end-of-the-year grand prizes.”

The prizes are:

~ 10-25 stamps are qualified to win:

$100 Marker 48 gift certificate

Free passport book for 2018 ($100 value)

$25 BeckyJacks Food Shack gift certificate

$25 Florida Cracker Kitchen gift certificate

That’s a $250 total value

~ 26-35 stamps are qualified to win all of the above, PLUS:

The chance to brew a small-batch beer with our brewers in 2018

~ 36-48 stamps are qualified to win all of the above, PLUS:

A one-night stay with one guest, hosted by Marker 48, on a private island on the Homosassa River and a half-day fishing inshore charter with a guide captain

In order to qualify for the prizes above, you must purchase a Smallbatch Beer Book.

The plan is for the majority of the Smallbatch Beers to be tapped each Wednesday in Marker 48 Brewing’s tasting room. With that said, things do come up in the brewing process and those beers with “special treatments or other special brewing techniques may be released another day.” Your best bet is to check Marker 48’sFacebook page or Twitter account each week for up-to-date news concerning each release. The brewery expects each release to be available for a couple of weeks, but there is no guarantee when it comes to demand for limited release beers.

The first beer of the Smallbatch Beer Program, a treated American Blonde Ale called Peanut Butter and Jellyfish (5.5% ABV), was officially tapped on Sunday, February 5. Marker 48 Brewing reports that this offering “remains available as of this date.”

At just $100 for a beer a week for the rest of the year, this Smallbatch Beer Program is a no-brainer if you happen to live anywhere near Marker 48 Brewing. Swing by the tasting room soon to get in on this promotion and start collecting those stamps. Prost!